Fazl-e-Umar — Page 26
Fazle Umar 26 Scent-bearing morals spreading musk in the air are not weighed on large measur- ing scales but on the measuring scales of such subtly felt tender and graceful incidents. Although this incident relates to the Promised Messiah [as] , it demonstrates the character of the father under whose training Mahmud was nourished and grew up. T H E M O ST E F F E C T I v E M E A n S TO A I d T R A I n I n G These are just a few examples of Huzur’s style of training. However, for the Prom- ised Messiah [as] the best way to aid the training of children was through prayers. It was impossible for the Promised Messiah [as] who offered fervent prayers with deep humility for his children well before they were conceived, to neglect praying for them after they were born. Not only in connection with his children but in every situation and condition he gave prayers the highest precedence and proclaimed it as the most effective tool when weighed against any other means. He sought means only because Allah created them and to employ them was also according to His Will. Hadhrat Maulvi Abdul Karim [ra] states: “No matter how troublesome and naughty they are and however pressing may be their unreasonable demands and however much they may insist on having what is unprocurable, he never beats them or scolds them or shows any signs of anger… I have often seen that nothing annoys him as much as to hear that someone has beaten his child. A gentleman here one day beat his children, as a matter of habit. This greatly moved the Promised Messiah [as] who sent for him and delivered a highly touching discourse. ” 9 “…Children should be guided by good example and they should not be punished physically, he said. Fathers who beat their children were putting themselves alongside God and so were guilty of a kind of polytheism, believing they shared His attributes of being a true and absolute guide. Those who pushed their